January 28, 2009 - Wednesday

Todays Gazette comes to you from the bottom of Prehistoric Lake
Agassiz.
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The current temperature is 4 degrees.
The "feels like" temperature is -16
Yesterdays H/L temperature was 0/-20
Normal H/L temp on this date is 16/-3
It was 39 degrees on this date in 1927
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"Profanity makes ignorance audible."
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L O C A L news & stuff,.. mostly stuff.
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Although I can't be absolutely certain that the following information
suggests that the "latest" round of global warming started long before
Henry Ford's Model T. Obviously, unfortunately, Al Gore believes the
history of Lake Agassiz is not accurate. Or so it seems to me.
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Lake Agassiz
Largest of the ice-marginal lakes that once covered what are now parts
of Manitoba, Ontario, and Saskatchewan in Canada, and North Dakota and
Minnesota in the United States. It was present in the Pleistocene Epoch
(a geological period that lasted from 1,600,000 to 10,000 years ago)
during the last two phases of the Wisconsin Glacial Age, when the
Laurentide Ice Sheet blocked the drainage of the northern Great Plains
into what is today Hudson Bay. As a result, the waters of the
Saskatchewan and other rivers backed up, forming the 700-mi- long by
200-mi-wide Lake Agassiz and the smaller lakes of Souris and
Saskatchewan, which drained through various outlets (depending upon
their water level) either into the Mississippi River (via the Minnesota
River) or Lake Superior. With the retreat of the ice sheet, after nearly
1,000 years, a channel to the north (now the Nelson River) drained the
110,000-sq-mi Lake Agassiz into Hudson Bay, leaving lakes Winnipeg,
Winnipegosis, and Manitoba, and Lake of the Woods as remnants. The fine
claylike silt that accumulated on the bottom of Agassiz is responsible
for the fertility of the valleys of the Red and Souris rivers. The lake
was named in 1879 after the Swiss-born naturalist and geologist Louis
Agassiz, who conducted extensive studies on the movement of glaciers.
~~~~~~~
I suspect, if Al had his way, he might prefer the Red River Valley be
renamed after him,.... something like Gores Gorge.
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Subject: Bone Marrow Donor Drive
I am pleased to share the following information I received from Cathy
yesterday afternoon. She wrote: >>>
Hi Gary,
I apologize; we meant the previous email to get the word out and seek
possible interest of those who would want to help with the actual
drive. I failed to mention details to follow. Forgive me. Hopefully this
will help answer some questions. Also if anyone has been tested in the
past they should be registered on the national donor list, but if they
are unsure and would like to be tested again…C'MON DOWN!
DKMS is short for Deutsche Knochenmarkspenderdatei (German for Bone
Marrow Donor Center); it is the world's largest marrow donor center with
over 1.7 million registered donors. Each year 140,000 people are
diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma and other blood cancers. DKMS has
facilitated over 14,000 transplants!!!
So, down to the, How do I become a marrow or blood stem cell donor?
You must be between the ages of 18 -55 and in general good health.
· Not HIV positive or at risk for AIDS
· Not have severe heart disease
· Not have a history of cancer*
· Not have autoimmune disorders such as lupus,
rheumatoid arthritis or multiple sclerosis.
· Not have severe asthma (daily inhalers are
acceptable)
· Not have diabetes requiring insulin
· Not have hepatitis
· Not have epilepsy
· Not have chronic or sever back problems or
surgery
*Cervical, breast and bladder cancer (stage O) and most cured localized
skin cancers are acceptable.
You need to complete a registration form and sign a donor consent
form.
Then a collection of cheek cells, using a cotton-tipped swab, is taken
and sent to a lab to be tested to determine your tissue type.
Your data is then entered into the National Registry (NMDP) in anonymous
form, so doctors can search for a donor for their patients(s). YOUR
INFORMATION IS CONFIDENTIAL
How are blood stem cells collected?
Once you have been identified as a match for a patient, there are two
ways, both outpatient procedures, you can GIVELIFE.
Peripheral Blood Stem Cell (PBSC)
(Approximately 70%-80% of collections are performed this way) This
procedure, called apheresis, involves receiving daily medication for
four to five days before the collection to increase blood stem cells in
the bloodstream. The donor's blood is removed from one arm, passed
through a machine that separates out the cells used in transplant and
returned through the other arm.
Marrow (not spinal) Tissue
(Approximately 20%-30% of collections are performed this way) Doctors
collect the cells, with a special needle, from the pelvic bone where a
small amount of marrow (containing stem cells) is extracted. This is a
surgical procedure done under general or local anesthesia so the donor
does not experience pain during the collection process.
If you are ineligible or do not wish to register as a potential
marrow donor you can help in other ways. Spread the word, volunteer your
time, or provide a monetary donation.
~~~~ Bone Marrow Donor Drive ~~~~
March 7, 2009
At St. Johns Church in Grafton.
Between the hours of 10 am & 5 pm.
-- Watch for flyers & spread the word! --
No one is obligated to pay the $65.00 it costs to run each test.
There will be a free will offering to offset the costs for DKMS.
Breakfast in the morning and soup in the afternoon.
Give Hope and Give Life.
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"To know what is right, and then not do it. Is the worst form of
cowardice."
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"You can legislate to educate, and you can educate to legislate.
However, if the educated legislators haven't spawned from a gene pool of
morality. The road to hell may well be paved with good intentions."
Or so it seems to me.
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GOTTA GO WORK ON MY DASH
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"Be who you are and say what you feel... Because those who mind don't
matter.... and those who matter don't mind."
Or so it seems to me


Write if you can, call if you can't, and, tell your loved ones they
are,..... before it's too late.